1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus including an image carrier and a detachable unit has been known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-230197 discloses such a conventional image forming apparatus. The image carrier is configured as, for example, a photosensitive member or an intermediate transfer member on which a toner image is transferred from the photosensitive member. In the image forming apparatus of this type, if a detachable unit inside the image forming apparatus is located near the image carrier, the detachable unit may bump against the surface of the image carrier when attached or detached, thereby making a scratch on a surface of the image carrier. Such a scratch on the surface of the image carrier will cause deterioration in the quality of a toner image transferred on a recording medium.
To overcome this problem, a protective member can be provided that prevents the contact of the detachable unit with the image carrier when the detachable unit is attached or detached. With this, the detachable unit can be prevented from bumping against the surface of the image carrier when attached or detached, and the above inconvenience can be eliminated. This configuration, however, requires an additional protective member for image carrier, thereby increasing the number of components of the image forming apparatus and resulting in cost increase.